Today, managements of chemical and refinery complexes require effective collection and speedy analysis of day-to-day operational data. Computerization has helped. For example, instead of an operator collecting the data by pencil-and-paper followed by once-a-day encoding of the data at the central computer, the operator can now use a programmable portable microcomputer for collecting the data and then use automatic encoding techniques to access that data to a central computer from one or more data terminals within the complex.
However, the increased frequency of use of each microcomputer (often shared by several operators) has brought about problems of maintenance of the instruments. During storage, for example, the battery packs may or may not be checked; as a result, the instruments may be used in an under powered state, i.e., they're used even though not adequately charged. Result: uneven storage as data is collected in the field, or if properly encoded, the data may later be lost during accessing from the memory of the microcomputer to the main computer.